1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to wireless networks and, more specifically, to automated seamless reconnection of client devices to a wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Home networks, in which multiple computing and/or peripheral devices are communicatively linked together in a consumer's home, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. A home environment may include one or more computers, a wireless router, a dsl modem, and one or more other devices capable of connecting to the home network. Conventionally, each device in the home network must be individually configured to connect to the network and, once configured, may then communicate with each of the other devices attached to the home network.
Many users choose to secure their home network by establishing network credentials for connecting to a wireless access point associated with the home network. For example, many consumer wireless routers are preconfigured to implement various security protocols such as the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi™ Protected Access (WPA), Wi-Fi™ Protected Access II (WPA2) or the like. These security protocols may enable a user of the home network to associate a password with a particular wireless access point identified via a service set identifier (SSID). For example, WPA2 defines a pre-shared key (WPA2-PSK) mode that enables a user to define a password using between 8 and 63 ASCII characters, which is then provided to a key derivation function to generate a 256-bit encryption key used to encode data packets transmitted over the wireless access point.
Conventionally, to connect a client device to the wireless access point protected with one of the security protocols described above, a user may be required to select the SSID associated with the secure wireless access point from a list of broadcast SSIDs (or manually enter the SSID) and enter the password associated with the secure wireless access point. The client device then uses the SSID and password to establish a connection with the wireless access point. Client devices may also store the SSID and password to automatically reconnect to the secure wireless access point whenever the client device is within range of the wireless router that provides the wireless access point. However, if a user changes the network credentials, such as by changing the SSID or password associated with the secure wireless access point, each device that connects to the wireless home network will need to be manually reconfigured with the new SSID and password.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that enable client devices to automatically and seamlessly reconnect to the secure wireless access point.
For clarity, identical reference numbers have been used, where applicable, to designate identical elements that are common between figures. It is contemplated that features of one example embodiment may be incorporated in other example embodiments without further recitation.